American Literature

Herman Melvilles book, Moby-Dick, employs a number of literary devices designed primarily to enhance the books appeal and highlight some of its finer points. One of the things that Melville does repeatedly to try to bring the book to life is to use imagery and foreshadowing as a means of holding the readers attention.

Because the book is so long and it presents such a developed, complicated plot line, the use of these literary devices is an important part of the process. The author must foreshadow events that are to come, as it adds to the characteristic ominous nature of the work and it holds the interest of the readers, as well. One of the main pieces of imagery that the author uses in order to foreshadow is the coffin. In both direct, literal ways and in more indirect, subtle ways, coffin imagery is used in the beginning of the book and becomes more evident as the reader moves on through the book. The authors use of this imagery is significant, as it sets up the reader for what is sure to be a dramatic and well planned apex of action. What makes this more powerful is that the author uses the coffin in many different ways, coming at that particular theme from a number of angles with a number of key characters. In all, it creates the mood and feeling of Moby-Dick, which is one of the fundamental characteristics that makes Melvilles work one of historical and literary significance.

The book begins very early with its insistence on using this type of imagery, taking a direct, literal approach from the second chapter on. Ishmael is coming down to the New England area from New York, and the author wants to show that things will be different for Ishmael almost immediately. This is done using methods of contrast, which are also very important to the development of the novel. When Ishmael first makes his way down into the area, he settles on the Spouter Inn, which has a very interesting name in its own right. He was looking for something cheap and what is what he got, but he did not intend to experience the fear and danger that early in the process. This is where the author truly begins to get the reader into the mood using coffin imagery. The inn owners last name is Coffin, which is a direct way of foreshadowing what will come. In order to understand how the author is using this coffin imagery to paint a picture of what is to come, one must understand what the author is doing with the imagery. He is immediately associating the coffin with the whaling industry, both with the inns name and with the people who frequent the inn.

The Spouter Inn is clearly a reference to whaling, so when one puts together the idea of the coffin and the idea of the whale, it is easy to see what the author is trying to accomplish. He is trying to say that whaling is something that is dangerous and it is something that will almost certainly lead to the demise of Ishmael. Additionally, Ishmael and the reader are both introduced to Coffin as an ominous character. He is creepy in multiple ways, and he has no concern about the type of person that is allowed to frequent his inn.

Additionally, Ishmael is forced to cope with the idea of fear and danger in his interactions with Coffin. He is initially placed in the same room as an initially scary character named Queequeg, and Ishmael suffers from terrors in Coffins hotel during the night. This foreshadows something that is to come later in the work. Ishmael reaches out for Coffin to help him in a most scary and dangerous circumstance. Later in the work, Ishmael reaches out for another type of coffin, this time to save him from the demise of his ship while out whaling. Though this is a somewhat subtle piece of foreshadowing, it is real and powerful. Overall, the association between Coffin and his ominous scene at the Spouter Inn work well in showing the reader that the future in whaling is going to be something that is somewhat unsettling for Ishmael.

Before the work gets into the heavy symbolism involving the whale or its role in defining the characters, it works with a significant amount of coffin imagery. Queequeg himself has made a coffin, which is referenced shortly after the beginning of the book. Again, this shows the reader that every person who Ishmael comes into contact with while trying to start out in his whaling career has some ominous quality to them. Queequeg is no different in this regard, as he has already created a well adorned coffin to hold him in his time of death. This association is very important, and it foreshadows what is to come for both Ishmael and for Queequeg.

Though the two have become very good friends since their initial meeting, and Queequeg eventually uses his coffin to hold his possessions, it is quite clear that the author intends to emphasize the almost doomed future of the relationship between the two. The coffin imagery is very literal in this sense, as the book goes so far as to say that Queequeg is preparing the box for his own death. This is meant to be used in a couple of different ways during the story. On one hand, it is supposed to act as a warning sign for Ishmael as he moves forward and makes his decision on the proper boat. Additionally, it serves to offer foreshadowing to the reader at large, showing them that despite the changes that Queequeg might have made and despite the change in Ishmaels attitude from fear to excitement, the same fate awaits those who enter onto the boat. This helps to balance out the emotional roller coaster that the reader is taken on during this book. It helps remove the reader from Ishmaels point of view, providing the reader with a larger perspective on what is likely to happen in the story, despite what Ishmael may believe is destined to happen.

That coffin plays a huge role in the story, especially when it is moved onto the Pequod after the men board the ship. The coffin undergoes a transition of sorts, as it is no longer Queequegs death box. Rather, it is now his box for carving knowledge and life, and it acts as a testament to his will to sustain himself. This coffin imagery is somewhat different in its foreshadowing technique. For instance, when the coffin is added as the life buoy on the Pequod, it shows the true transition that the coffin and Queequeg has made. The author does, however, use this to foreshadow what is to come for the ship. Since there is a coffin on board, and that coffin is used as a life boat, it lets the reader know that certain death is imminent for the ship. It is bound to a certain fate, and that fate is sinking into the sea. Just as a coffin is destined to be buried down in the depth of the earth, the ship is destined to be buried in the depth of the sea. The authors somewhat unique and revolutionary approach to this strong imagery is one of the things that makes this book a part of the literary cannon.

In all, coffin imagery is strong in this work and it is used in a number of different ways. From the direct use in the name of the inn owner to the more indirect references to the coffin as a sign of life, it serves as a symbol of the changes taking place in this story. The author uses it early in the work to set the tone and he uses coffin imagery later in the work to indicate how the story is proceeding along. In total, its use provides strong foreshadowing for what is to come, so that they reader has an outside perspective on the work and can remove himself or herself from the perspectives of the characters within the story.